Resisting Temptation
by LadyHorror92
Summary: Both have feelings for the other that they shouldn't have, and both are willing to forgo their secret desires if only to maintain the relationship they do have, no matter how much it hurts... Hansel/Gretel but not incest, read through to the end and you'll understand.


**A/N: *******_**This was taken down for some pretty stupid reasons, but for the time it was best that it be taken down. Along with the main Hansel/Gretel fic I was working on this one-shot and some of those chapters were on my boyfriend's computer, but we ended up breaking-up and he refused to give me the chapters I had saved and this (along with my stereo and flat-screen TV), and claimed that because he "gave me the idea for a Gretel/Hansel" fanfic that meant he owned the story". I tried telling him that it is just a story and that it was ridiculous to have some custody battle over it like it's some kid, but he threatened to make some bogus complaint to Fanfiction about me not owning it, or that he's offended by the content, or whatever excuse they'd take unless I took this and **_**"Se****crets Revealed****"**_** down. So, to play nice and get all my things back, I took both this and the one-shot down. Thank God, he finally gave me everything back and dropped the issue with the stories. Now both are back and in-progress once again.**_

_**I really am sorry about taking it down, and I'm glad this issues was just with one of my published fics and a few unpublished ones but not all of them but understand that I got sick of him making ridiculous threats and yelling in my ear about it all. I'm going to add each chapter that was already posted every two days, then I'll update regularly with the other chapters I've written until I'm to the point where I'm all caught up.***_

_**This one-shot sort of foreshadows the long multi-chaptered fic that I'm working on which will serve as a kind of sequel to **_**"Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters"**_**.**_

_**Hansel and Gretel are not involved in this fic, but there is some strong mutual attraction between them. But it isn't incest, not really. You should find hints about what I mean by that as you read this, and at the end I'll explain things a bit more thoroughly.**_

_**Either way, this is Hansel/Gretel. If that pairing is not something you like, don't read and don't leave reviews complaining about the pairing because I'll just ask why you read it in the first place if you have issues with Hansel/Gretel. So, please, no flames because they are unhelpful and unwanted to say the least. All other reviews are welcomed.**_

**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own**_** Hansel & Gretel**_**. If I did, this would be a part of a movie or something.**_

* * *

Weeks had passed since the life altering order with Muriel in the town of Augsburg, but the witch hunters Hansel and Gretel hardly stopped to rest and tend to their wounds. Witches would not cease their crimes just because the siblings were sore and hindered by the revelation that their mother was a grand white witch, and thus the two would not stop their hunt for those who practiced the dark arts.

They were not children, new to hunting, and were not teenagers, amateurs at the trade – they were skilled witch hunters who couldn't afford to take breaks. As children, they'd taken a great many breaks to catch their breath, but stopping for a little vacation could get them killed, something he had to remind Gretel of once in a while as she sometimes playfully insisted that should just stop and breath for a few days in a nice town, acting like the little girl she once was who wanted to sit on a bench and just relax for a while after they finished playing some game, and more often than not Hansel let her have what she wanted.

Gretel had been timid as a little girl, quiet and submissive, readily letting Hansel do the talking for her amongst other children and adults they came across, and sought him for protection from anything that frightened her. There had once been a small black snake that crossed her path, causing her to shriek and cry out for his help, and he was by her side in an instant, killing the snake. Gretel had thanked him, hugging him tightly, while their mother scolded him for killing a harmless snake that would sooner slither away than harm the girl. Hansel didn't care how harmless that black snake was – it had frightened Gretel, and he wouldn't allow anything that threatened her to remain.

That little girl was a far cry from the woman who sat across the fire while teaching Ben how to properly clean and maintain their various weapons. The woman opposite of him was strong and defiant, hardly requiring her brother for protection when she could easily kick the ass of any witch and attacker – most of the time. Unlike himself, Gretel was kind and compassionate to strangers, unwilling to condemn someone on words alone. She needed evidence of guilt, and should an innocent woman accused of witchcraft or child be killed she would readily blame herself, when to him it was either bad luck or poor timing that had nothing to do with him or his sister. And opposed to how shy she used to be, she was now the talker during their hunts and more often than not was the one who conversed with mayors, sheriffs, and other forms of the law given that he had a lousy habit of being less than friendly.

Hansel did not play well with others, a trait Gretel took advantage of regularly for her own amusement or to get payback. He was still bitter about how she'd drawn him into chatting with Ben when he'd requested an autograph, and was still less than thrilled about her insisting that he be brought along. The kid was strange, even by their standards, having collected every single article about the siblings and painting pictures of them – mostly of Gretel.

Then there was Edward, but Hansel wasn't about to argue with a troll that was dead set on serving his sister, whom had taken a liking to the big guy.

But things had changed between the siblings, and Hansel longed for some privacy so they could sit down and talk without the fear of being over heard. Though he had set a strict rule that they would never speak of their parents ever again, even after learning of the truth, he began to reconsider his decision as he watched the weight of the revelation of their mother's true nature and sacrifice slowly weigh on his sister's shoulders.

They fought witches, killed so many they'd lost track, only to learn that their mother was a grand white witch and that Gretel herself was a white which as well. It was bound to mess with one's head, and it sure as hell messed with Hansel's. He just couldn't see his loving, beautiful sister as a witch, and had never seen a hint of what truly lay within her.

Then again, had he not been blind to what Mina was?

The young man sighed as he laid back on his blanket on the ground, staring up at the stars. He'd been with women before, but Mina was the first he'd gotten close to. Women weren't exactly his area of expertise, and he was accused more than once that he talked too much in intimate situations, but Mina had put a crack in his barriers and made him care, and she had sacrificed herself to save him. All he could hope for was that she hadn't done so because she loved him, because he had not loved her. The only woman he was capable of loving in any capacity was his dear sister, and if he were to admit it, perhaps he loved her more than a brother should, but damned if he could help it.

When they were children, Hansel had never fit in with anyone and constantly came into conflict with his mother and father. There were many times where he hardly felt like they were his parents, like he was living a life that didn't belong to him. The only one who always stood with him and was always there no matter what was Gretel. She might have considered him her protector, but she was the one who constantly saved him from just gathering his belongings and running away. As children, his over protectiveness and attachment to his sister was understandable, something that could be blamed on them being twins, but as they grew older his feelings became… inappropriate.

It started when they were teenagers, when everything he did began to revolve around Gretel, and if it came down to it he would kill for her with no hesitation whether the victim was a witch or an innocent. When she was hurt, he became furious with himself for allowing harm to come to her and took it upon himself to tend to her wounds as if she were the most precious thing in the world, because to him she was. As they grew older, his eyes would linger as she changed with her back to him, would watch her too closely whenever she leaned over in front of him, and would have to fight to keep his eyes on hers rather than her lips when she spoke. She was a beautiful woman, sinfully so, but what he felt for her went beyond mere looks. All his life, she had been there, fighting beside him, and had seen him at his best and at his worst, just as he had seen with her. Most definitely she was beautiful, both inside and out.

Never could he love a woman like he loved her, and he hated that he felt such love for his sister because never could he act on his desires nor could he confess the depth of his love to her.

The Bible was pretty damning when it came down to siblings finding companionship in each other in the intimate sense, but Hansel hardly cared about how he may appear in God's eyes. Religion wasn't something he indulged in, but the way he saw it he was already going to hell and it didn't much matter to him how he got there. The only soul he cared about was Gretel's. Being that she was a witch, she was already damned whether she was good or not, but he didn't want to condemn her further because of his own selfish thoughts, feelings, and desires.

For Gretel, Hansel would keep it in his pants and hold his tongue, and he would be whatever she needed him to be. If she wanted him to be her loving twin brother and best friend, that is what he would be. For her, the pain was worth bearing.

A large foot fell close to Hansel's head, startling him from his thoughts, and he jolted out of the way as Edward dropped some more sticks and branches onto the dimming fire.

"Watch it, big foot," Hansel snapped, receiving a snarl from the troll and a smile from Gretel.

Dark eyes sparkling in the firelight, amused, Gretel turned her attention back to the boy and asked, "Think you've got it from here?"

Beaming at her, attempting to mask his nervousness in such close proximity to her and the uncertainty with the weapons before him, he nodded. "Yeah, can't be that hard," he said, only to flinch when Gretel's crossbow nearly misfired when he picked it up in an odd way.

Hansel snorted, shaking his head at the kid. Thank God his sister had the patience for Ben, because he sure as hell didn't.

"I think I'll be taking that," Gretel said as gently as possible with a half-smile, cautiously taking her beloved weapon from him. Hooking its strap over her shoulder, she reached into her pack and pulled out a few cloths before rising to her feet. "I'm going to go wash up."

"Why?" Hansel asked with mock seriousness, eyes twinkling at her. "You smell so wonderful. Seriously, I can hardly smell that witch's blood anymore."

Walking past him, she playfully kicked his leg, giving him a tired smile before continuing on past some boulders to the small stream that managed to sustain itself in the harsh desert along with some plants.

Ben smiled at the exchange and got back to work on putting the weapons and stuff away, Edward just shook his head and continued poking at the fire, but Hansel stared in the direction Gretel had gone, a frown stealing the smile from his face.

To the untrained eye, her smile had been just that – a smile, and a lovely one at that. But Hansel knew Gretel better than anyone else alive and had been with her since their birth. Her lips had been smiling, but her eyes hadn't been. Something was weighing on her mind, and she sought privacy to think.

Never was it good when she went off alone to think.

Whatever was troubling that head of hers, he wasn't going to let her go through it alone, so he stood up from his blanket and retrieved his shotgun. They'd taken out a good five witches in the harsh desert thus far so the area they were in was likely safe, but one place could go from safe to dangerous in the blink of the eye, and with one more witch to go before they could go collect their bounty, Hansel wasn't taking any chances by going off without his gun.

Just as Hansel turned to go, Ben asked, "Where you going?"

He sighed. "To make sure nothing gets the jump on my sister," he replied, only partially lying.

"I'll go!" the kid offered a little too eagerly. "I, uh, I mean, she's washing and you're her brother so, uh, it might be a little awkward for you. And I won't look, I swear!"

"Yeah, I bet you won't," Hansel muttered under his breath.

Rather than tell him no, he just kept walking, his back and lack of an answer informing the kid that there was no chance in hell that he'd be allowed to sneak a peek at Gretel.

* * *

The chilly night air was a welcome relief to Gretel's sunburned shoulders, the blistering sun having not been kind to any of them during their trek through the desert.

It was always "_Just one more to go" _or_ "A few more and we're done!"_

That was what Ben said in some way after each witch they killed until at last Hansel was fed up and snatch the map and their contract from the boy and discovered that the mayor of the small town had tacked on a few more witches than they'd agreed to after speaking with Ben. Her brother nearly blew his top that Ben had gone behind their back like that, but Gretel was quick to defuse the situation by claiming that the teen was just being overeager and that he'd learn.

With that being said, she'd still wanted to throttle him and made him drag the cart for a few hours, giving Edward a break. Seeing her actually scold the kid cooled Hansel's anger, and though still irked by it all, he gave Ben no more trouble for the time being.

Ben knew that her brother didn't like him too much, so she didn't understand why he consistently pushed his luck, especially when he was lucky that Hansel had let him come along at all.

Hansel was quite protective of her, and after noticing the little crush the kid seemed to have on her he was doubly watchful of how the two interacted, quick to put Ben in his place when needed. He'd been that way since they were children, always watching out for her, but his desire to ward off the men and boys who came on to her increased as they grew up until now where he would readily beat a man who so much as touched her.

He had done just that more than once, forcing her to explain whatever had happened to the sheriff lest both she and her brother be run out of town without payment. It was ridiculous, but also incredibly flattering.

It was because of him that she was still very picky about who she was with. She always tried to find a man at least somewhat similar to Hansel.

Gretel loved Hansel more than a sister should love her twin brother, but it almost impossible not to. Yes, he was unbelievably handsome, but it was more than that. To everyone they came across, he was nothing but her scoundrel, anti-social brother who didn't give a damn about anyone save for her and children, but to her that was just a defense mechanism, a way to shield himself from others. She alone was privy to a side of him he let no one else see, and what she saw was enough to make her love him more than she ever should.

Though she could try, she knew she could never love a man to the degree that she loved Hansel, and it filled her with an acute sense of guilt.

She sat down beside the stream and sighed, loosening her hair from the braid.

How long had these thoughts of her brother plagued her mind? How long had he played a part in her most intimate of dreams? Years, she was certain of it, and she'd resisted the temptation to confess her sinful thoughts to him for just as long.

Hansel didn't need the trouble of his younger twin loving him in such a way, and she was certain he'd be disgusted by the notion that she loved him to the degree that she did. The last thing she wanted was to ruin the relationship they did have, so she kept her mouth shut tight.

As she unlaced the strings of her corset and tossed it to the side, she made to pull her flimsy short-sleeved tunic down her shoulders when she heard movement behind her. In a flash, she spun in her kneeling position to face the threat, grasping her crossbow from its spot beside her.

"Jumpy?" Hansel asked, lips quirking up in a half-smile, his shotgun slung over his shoulder, the moon providing just enough light for them to see each other.

She relaxed immensely and set her weapon down. "Why do you insist on sneaking up on me? I could have shot you."

"Like you haven't before."

Her face flushed. "I was twelve, and that was an accident."

"Yeah, yeah, tell that to the scar on my foot," he retorted, smiling at her.

"Oh, get over it," she demanded lightheartedly.

She turned her back to him and sat on the ground, slipped her tunic off her arms and down to her hips so she could better wash her upper body. A part of her wanted to glance back and see if Hansel was looking, but she forced herself to stare at the water as if she didn't care one way or the other. They'd both seen each other's bare backs quite often, there being little harm in it, but what was wrong was the fact that she tended to sneak a peak at him whenever changed or unclothed to wash up in a lake or pond. She would never let him know that she did that, but sometimes she wondered if he did the same because she could swear that at times she felt his eyes on her.

Soaking the cloth in the cool water, Gretel raised it to her shoulders, but before it touched her skin she heard Hansel moving closer until he was kneeling directly behind her, taking the cloth from her hands. Making no complaint, she allowed him to drag the wet cloth down her shoulders and her back, wiping away the dirt and sweat there while she took the other cloth and cleaned her chest. It was something they did frequently, washing each others back to get at spots they couldn't reach, but to Gretel it meant much more, invoked feelings that she dared not express, and every so often a shiver would run through her and she forced herself to believe that it was from the cool water and not from his gentle touch.

"Want to tell me what's bugging you?" Hansel asked quietly after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Gretel swallowed, uncertain if she should voice her concerns in regards to their family to him or not. He hated discussing their parents, even now, which was understandable.

He'd always been the black sheep of their family – odd, considering their mother had been a grand white witch, making Gretel one as well – and more than once he'd complained that he didn't belong at home. Whenever he came into conflict with either their mother or father, he come ranting to Gretel that they didn't even like him and whatnot, and more than once he'd made the accusation that he wasn't their son at all. When he made that claim, he'd point out that while Gretel held traits of both parents, he looked nothing like them and that his eyes were grey while their parents' and Gretel's eyes were dark brown. She'd just tell him he was angry and being silly because neither of them looked like their parents at such a young age before drawing him into a game of some kind that would calm him down.

Idly, she wondered if he still felt that way so strongly about his place with their parents.

From what she remembered of them, Hansel admittedly didn't hold any physical resemblance either parent whatsoever and shared no personality traits, but while that might justify his claims to some degree, surely the fact that he was immune to a dark witch's spells proved that he was wrong.

With that in mind, perhaps now was the time to speak her mind.

Gathering her courage, she hesitantly asked, "What else don't we know about our parents, Hansel?"

His action of washing her back faltered for a few seconds before he continued, softly rubbing away some dirt on the back of her neck. "I don't know. Can't imagine they had a bigger secret than mother being a witch."

"Maybe," she admitted, but wasn't so ready to believe that. "But it begs the question, don't you think? We had a normal home and a normal life, but mother was a grand white witch with a cave beneath our home. We were oblivious, but father knew. What if they were keeping something else from us? What it –?"

"Stop it," Hansel snapped gently, dropping the cloth to hold her by the shoulders. "You're going to drive yourself crazy."

"But –"

"No," he interrupted more firmly than last time. "That was the big secret and the only secret, all right? There is nothing else."

To Gretel, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that than her.

He was always quick to suppress anything that had to do with their parents, and it frustrated her to no end sometimes. Still, she wasn't going to push him when he'd let her speak of their parents without silencing her immediately like usual.

Instead, she fell silent and finished washing her chest while focusing on Hansel washing her back, his normally rough hands being incredibly gentle with her. Within minutes, her eyelids began to droop, exhaustion beginning to catch up with her. She finished ridding the dirt and sweat from her chest before he finished with her back, but the moment he did and made to stand, she reached back and grasped his leg, keeping him where he was.

Tiredly, not ready to rejoin the others, she asked softly, "Can we stay here a while longer? Just the two of us?"

"Of course," he replied immediately, pressing a loving kiss to her sunburned shoulder that lasted a fraction of a second longer than it should have before he shifted behind her to sit and lean back against the nearest rock.

Once she'd raised her tunic over her chest and crossed her arms to keep it there and got comfortable between his outstretched legs, he put his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest as her head lulled back against his shoulder.

"I love you, Gretel," he murmured into her ear, a regretful tone to his voice that she brushed off.

Biting back the ache in her heart, she replied softly, "I love you too, Hansel."

Nothing else was said between the two, and nothing needed to be said. Both were content to just be in each other's company without anyone else around for a change, and turning her head, Gretel was happy to allow her brother's strong heartbeat to lull her to sleep.

Sometime later, she became vaguely aware through the haze of sleep that her arms were being slipped back through the sleeves of her tunic before she was lifted from the ground. Opening her eyes ever so slightly, her gaze landed on Hansel's neck as he carried her back to their little camp where the fire was still burning. There was a slight snoring, indicating that Ben had fallen asleep, but she couldn't tell if Edward was asleep or not though she assumed he wasn't.

Rather than lay her on her own blanket, Hansel gently set her on his, moving his coat that served as a pillow away from her a bit. Urging her to turn onto her side, he laid down behind her, molding his hard body against her soft one and extending his right arm for her to use as a pillow while he used his coat, and his other muscular arm curled around her slender waist, holding her close.

Comforted by the warmth of the fire against her front and Hansel's body heat on her back, Gretel laced her fingers with his hand about her waist and held it close to her chest as if to keep him from disappearing on her. She'd seen him stabbed by Muriel before her very eyes, became separated more often than she cared to think about, and she feared the day she would lose him again, no matter how temporary their separation may be.

But for now, they were together, and nothing would tear them apart, not even the unknown darkness brewing in the distance that would change Hansel and Gretel's lives in ways they never imagined.

* * *

**A/N: **_**All right, so in case you didn't get the hint that I've thrown in there, there's the possibility in Hansel's mind that he might not even be related to Gretel at all, and I'll come right out and say that he isn't which is obviously a key factor in the fic I'm writing that this one foreshadows. It's not going to be "oh, they were lied to about being siblings, and they live happily ever after"... no, there will be some pretty dark reasons as to why they were misled and just how/why they were brought together in the first place, and there will be some pretty strong connections to Muriel and her eldest sister (an OC I've created who will be the main antagonist).**_

_**And don't forget to review! Reviews let me know that you wish for more!**_


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